Mop



March 1932. H. J. QSTDIEK ET AL 4 MOP Original Filed Aug. 5, 1929 Patented Mar. 15, 1932 I HERMAN ,TQos'rnInK'ANn CLAR .f ASSIGNQRS OF ONE-TENTH TO MARY E; vHANKE. 3

T Mor Application ma August 5', ieza s'eria o; 383,519. Renewed .Tulylfi, 1931.

This invention relates to mops and particularly to an improvement on the mop disclosed in Patent No.11,54;5,510, issued conjointly July 14th, 1925, to Herman J. Ost- ,5, diek, (one of the applicants herein) and Mary E. Hanks. The invention isparticularly directed to detachable means for connectingthe elastic swab holder with the mop head.

1 It is an object of'our invention'to provide in a mop of the general class 'disclosedfin said "Patent ':lg':1,545,510, means for very quickly "connecting and disconnecting the elastic swab holder with the head of the mop whereby mop swabs may be quickly and-e'as'ily 'replaced or-removed for laundering. A further object 'is toyprovide a simple'but 5 highly eflicient mop construction which will' add little, if any, expense 'to the {structure disclosed in said Patent $51,545,510 which will provide an eificientmop wherein a'coiled spring or other elastic element on which the swab 1s mounted may be disconnected from the head by'a short longitudinalandsubsequent torsional movement of the elastic swab holderp' Q j a These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the: following descri-ption"made in'connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to isimilar parts throughoutthe several views and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a-plan view'ofa'n embodiment of the invention, a portion of' the" swab being broken away to disc'losefthe coiled spring swab holder therewithin. a

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan viewfof the mop head and associated parts on a larger "scale;

Fig. 4 is a' fragmentary'plan'viewjoffla' slightly different embodiment of the, invention, show ingr the mop head and terminalsflo the coiled spring swab holder and I F5 is a fragment'ary elevation looking in the direction of the crotchportion of the mophead. V

Our improved mop, as illustrated in the drawings, includes the usual elongated: handistance, widening laterally at their inner f extremities, as indicated by the numeral '86. *The said widened inner extremities 8b are Fig, 3 is across section taken on the line dle 6 preferably constructed'from a suitable UNITED STATES PATENTOFFECE wooden pole. To one end of said handle, a V

Y-shaped hollow attachment head is secured by suitable means, such as a screw or bolt 6a said head comprising a central, handle r eceiving socket 7 and a pair of spring receiving sockets 8 which diverge oppositely from handle socket'7, sockets 8, as shown, defining'a'n angle of approximately 90 although, of course, this angle may be varied. Sockets 8 are substantiallytubular and each is provided with a longitudinally extending entrance slot 8a, said slots extending from the outer ends of said sockets inwardly for a considerable,

extended longitudinallyin anoutward direca tion relativelyto the sockets 8 andat opposite sides of the entrance slots 8 thereby form f ing foreach socket a pair ofpin retaining "-notches9. The inner and widened portions 8b of the sockets area'lso each provided'with "an outwardly projecting inverted V-shapedj po'rtion 1 0, the apex of the V being substantially alined with the center of slot 8a, the

oppositely sloping sides-of theV-sliaped portions constituting guiding or cammingf sur- TfZLCQS lO CZ. The complete slots thus formed. 1 are substantially of inverted T-shape'and v afford bayonet-joints as will hereafter morefully appear. 1 l

p The slots may be easily formed by cutting the'tubular or semi-tubular members consti- V tilting the sockets 8 and we prefer to provide the slots for the twospring receiving sockets in opposite faces-of the 'attachment'fhead;

The reason forthis is that the most. practicable and economical way of making the at- Y tachment head above described is to stamp the same from sheet metal in-two duplicate sections thereby r quiring a only a a single die,

11 of the complementary sections,

The mop swab indicated asan entirety'by said sejctions'having-web-like flanges 11' eX-- tending between their several semi-sockets whereby the sections maybe easily united by 'spot weldi'ng or-otherwise joining the flanges yarn or cord sections fastened to a strip of suitable material such as cloth or canvas, the said material being doubled to form a tubular. hem 18 1 through which a flexible swab holder is passed, the ends of the swab holder being detachably secured in the two sockets 8.

While it will be understood that we may employ any flexible swab holding element which has elasticity and durability, we prefer a cylindrically coiled spring 1 1 of sufficient length to form a substantial loop when doubled. As illustrated, the extremities er the coiled spring 141 are projected radially outward to afford lock pins lea which cooperate with the bayonet slots previously described :and are seated, when in locked position,in the pin retaining notches 9 at the sides of-slot 8a. If means other than the coiled spring is utilized for holding the swab, such asrubber tubing or flexible metal tubing, the extremities of the holding elements may be provided with laterally extending pins corresponding to the pin extremities 14a of the coiled spring 1% illustrated.

As shown in the drawings, a short compressionspring 15 is mounted in thecentral and communicating portions ofsockets 8 for the purpose of applying retaining pressure against the extremities of the swab holding spring 14, although in most instances, the torque of "the coiled swab holding spring is sufficientto retainithe-extremities thereof in locked position without the use of compression spring 15.

j'lo :detachably connect the coiled spring swab lio-ldenldwith the sockets 8 of the attachment head, one end of-spring 14 is first inserted in the-socket, its locking pin 14a being projected longitudinally inward through :oneofthe slots 8a until it is guided by one .of the cammin-g edges 10a of they-shaped projecting portion '10 to one side or the other of slot 8a. The pin isthenengaged by the appropriate locking notch 81) and the swab applied {to the free end of the spring 14'. by

passing the spring through the hem port-ion 13a=of :the swab. The free end of the spring 1% is'then twisted slightly in eitherwdirection and itslocking pin 14a is inserted in the slot :Sa of the unoccupied socket, being guided to position Joyoneofthe camming surfaces 10a. 'T-hetorque applied :to the spring 1% by twisting thersaine, will cause locking pin 14a to :t-urn to-oi-ie side of the-cooperating widened "slot portion 86 out of alinementwith the entrance 'slot 8a, resulting in said pin being seated in one of the pin-receiving notches 9.

The direction inwhich the pin 14a turns upon passing the extremity of entrance slot 8a depends,of course, upon the direction'of twist applied to the spring. When manual pres sure has been released from the-spring the tendency of the twisted coiled spring to straighten out will cause the extremities V connectionsof the swab holding spring 14.

thereof to exert a slight outward pull against the locking notches.

In Figs. 4 and 5, a slightly difierent embodiment of the invention is illustrated. Here the tubular spring-receiving sockets 8 are provided on opposing sides, that is, on the upper portions in the drawings, adjacent the crotch portions of the Y-shaped head, with inwardly and longitudinally extending L- shaped bayonet joint slots, each of. said slots comprising a straight entrance portion 20 extending inwardly and longitudinally from the outer end of one of the sockets 8 and having a lateral extension 20a which is disposed circumferentially of the socket. At the extremities of the lateral extensions 20a longitudinally'and outwardly projecting pin-engagingnotches 206 are provided for receiving the pins 14a of the coiled swab holding spring or other. elastic swab holding elements. A: compression spring 15 is provided inthe centrala-nd communicating portions at the in ner ends of sockets 8, which .is adapted to engage against the extremities of the swabholding spring 1 1 to assist in preventing'dis The attachment head of the last described device is also preferably made of two duplicate sections or stampings provided with the welding flanges 11 generally similar to the welding flangesof the form of the invention first described. V

From the foregoing description it will be seen that we have invented an inexpensive but highly efficient improvement in mop .con struction having all the advantages .of'the mop disclosed in .the patent to Ostdiek and Hanke .q'i1,545,510,with the additional .advantages that the elastic swab holding elenientmay be instantly connectedor discon nected from the attachment head whereby a new swabniay be attached or a swab removed forcleanin'g. It is often desirable in a mop to utilize one swab for applying water or other liquid to the floors, while a different swab may-be employed for oil'or dressing.

, It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement, and proportions of the various parts without departing from thescope of the invention.

' What is claimed is :v

1. In a mop,-an attachment head having a pair of outwardly projecting spaced sockets, a mop swab, an elongated swab holding element which is resilientand maybe placed under torque the ends of said swab holding element being adapted to'beseated in said sockets, one end of said swab holding element having alateral projection which is adapted to interlock with means in one of said sockets. the torque of said resilient element retaining said projection against displacement from said means.

2. A mop head having diverging sockets formed with bayonet slots, in combination with a mop swab and an elongated swab holder that is resilient and may be placed under torque, and having lateral projections near its ends that are insertable into said sockets for interlocking engagement with the bayonet slots thereof.

8. A mop head having diverging sockets formed with bayonet slots, incombination with a mop swab and a swab holder that is resilient laterally and in torque and having bayonet lock projectionsnear its extended slots with inner extremities extending in opposite directions to afford bayonet'slots,

in combination with a mop swab, and a swab holder in the form of a cylind-rically coiled spring applied to said swab and at its extendedends having out-turned portions insertable into the spring-receiving sockets through the longitudinal slotsthereof and into the inner extremities of said slots, the torque in the spring being such as to maintain interlocking engagement between the outer ends ofthe said spring and the reversely extending inner extremities of said slots.

the lower ends of the spring for exerting an outward locking pressure thereon.

7. In a mop, a handle, an attachment head,

secured toone end of said handle having a.

pair of outwardly projecting spaced'sockets, an elongated flexible swab holding element, 7 the ends of which areseated in said Sockets, a mop swab, at least one'of saidsockets and 'one or the ends of said swab holding elements having cooperating interlocking means whereby one end of said swab holding ele-' ment may be instantly connected with or disa connected from said attachment head. Y

.8. In a mop, a handle, an attachment head secured to said handle and having a pair of spaced sockets, an'elongated flexible swab holding element, the ends of which are seated in said'sockets, one of said sockets having a bayonet slot therein, the entrance of. said slot,.extending substantially longitudinally of said socket and one end of said swab hold ing element having a lateral projection havinglocking engagement with the return- 7 ing portion of said bayonet slot. 7

9. The structure set forth in claim 8 and a compression means in said slotted socket for exerting outward locking pressure on the *1 2 adjacent end of said swab holding element.

In testimony'whereof we affix our signa-c turest HERMAN J. OSTDIEK CLARENCE J .OSTDIEK.

5. A mop including a head having a handle- I 7 receiving socket and two diverging-springreceiving sockets, said sockets having bayonet slots comprising longitudinal entrance slots with their inner extremities terminating inlaterally widened portions extending from'bothsides of the entrance slot, in combination with a mop swab and a swab holder in the form of a cylindrically coiled spring applied to said swab and at its ends having out-turned porv bayonet slots, in combination with amop tions insertable into the spring-receiving sockets through the longitudinal slots thereof and into the widened inner extremities of said slots, the particular sideof the widened portion of each slot in which a co-operating outturned spring end will find interlocking engagement being dependent upon the direction of'torque in said spring. 1 p

6. A mop head having sockets formed with swab, a swab holder in the form of a coiled spring applied to said swab and having extending portions provided with outwardly extending projections insertable into said sockets for interlocking engagement with" the bayonet slots thereof, and a compression means in said sockets and engageable-with spring-receiving 

